by: NYCalling
Posted on 01.15.10 in All Horror Films > Cult/Erotic > Exploitation

Made only, oh, almost twenty years after the initial biker-exploitation wave of the mid to late sixties, this insane film from Spain and Sweden is still worth a look. I guess this is a combination Spain and Sweden productions, which in my mind should combine Ingmar Bergman and Luis Bunuel. Instead, it’s like the fevered dream of a exceedingly violent biker on acid. It’s so over the top  that the violence and …

by: NYCalling
Posted on 01.06.10 in All Horror Films > Cult/Erotic > Exploitation

Tagline “Don’t cross him or he’ll cut you down to size”
I usually recommend this film when people ask for a good introduction to Grindhouse or exploitation films. It’s not great, it’s pretty technically inept, and it’s really kind of ludicrous.  Still, this film delivers the goods, albeit a little sneakily. The film doesn’t quite live up to the title, which is one of exploitation films finest, but it’s still worth tracking down …

by: NYCalling
Posted on 11.10.09 in All Horror Films > Cult/Erotic > Torture

Horror films, and especially exploitation pictures, have always been about selling the sizzle as opposed to the Steak.
David Friedman, one of the high kings of exploitation films, noted that exploitation films by nature were always better in the trailer then in the actual film. The taglines and trailers are used to entice you into see these films. And most times, a film won’t live up to all the hype. Believe me, there …

by: NYCalling
Posted on 11.10.09 in All Horror Films > Monster

Ah, horror sequels. And even more importantly, sequels by Albert Band and his band of renown. What made me watch this film was that it was actually directed by Albert Band, the patriarch of the Band family, who of course are the architects of the “Full Moon” empire, which has put out more films then Takashi Miike. While he produced a John Carradine like amount of films, his director resume is …

by: NYCalling
Posted on 11.10.09 in All Horror Films > Monster

There are a lot of low, low budget horror movies. Most times they are badly filmed, with terrible dialog, lousy effects and the worse acting you’ve ever seen. So why do we keep going back to the well, and watching these terrible films? Because for every 100 films of crap like Zombie Nightmare, or Shock Treatment (the awful sequel to Rocky Horror Picture Show), you get a gem like Frank Henenlotter’s Basket …

by: NYCalling
Posted on 11.10.09 in All Horror Films > Cult/Erotic > Supernatural

Let’s go back, fans of obscure and bad films, to the late eighties. Oh, this film says it was released in 1991, but there’s no doubt, Shock ‘Em Dead is a film from the late eighties. Every bad memory of the clothing and music is in this film, to say nothing of the hair styles. Even the guitars scream late eighties production. I’ve played guitar for years, and watching this film reminded …

by: NYCalling
Posted on 11.10.09 in All Horror Films > Slasher

Grime can be very hard to re-produce. As the phrase ‘Grindhouse’ gains popularity with horror aficionados and movie geeks everywhere, more and more forgotten, low budget and just flat out bizarre films are being brought back to life. I actually saw a box of ‘Grindhouse’ flicks in an Electronic Retail store with 20 films jammed into one case. Most of these films are public domain, or films that are sold in bulk …

by: NYCalling
Posted on 11.10.09 in All Horror Films > Slasher > Thriller/Suspense

The mannequin is not often used in horror films: however, by and large they are usually very creepy. “Tourist Trap” takes the slasher genre and adds mannequins to the mix.
The film follows the basic slasher premise: two couples and one “extra” girl go to a vacation spot to have some fun, show some skin, have sex and do some partying. They also bump into a strange ‘museum’ where good old boy Chuck …

by: NYCalling
Posted on 11.10.09 in All Horror Films > Werewolf

Let me start by saying that I’m a pretty big fan of the director of this film, Larry Cohen. He made a lot of great 70s and 80s exploitation fare, including Black Caesar, It’s Alive, God Told Te To and Q the Winged Serpent. Despite the fact he often worked on a small budget, he still was able to make some very entertaining and well done films. This film, Full Moon High, …

by: NYCalling
Posted on 11.10.09 in All Horror Films > Cult/Erotic > Torture

Snuff is one of the most taboo subjects in film. The idea that someone would want to film the last moments of a person’s life being taken from them is horrific, and you have to wonder at the sort of person who would enjoy such films. Of course, that doesn’t mean that horror films haven’t been mining that vein for a long, long time. The Last House on Dead End Street is …